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Further Committment Of €2.6million For Traffic Bound Thurles

North Tipperary Independent Deputy Michael Lowry has confirmed that he has held discussions with Transport Minister Noel Dempsey and the latter has confirmed his commitment to providing some €2.6 million, in relation to the completion of the Thurles link road.
This funding will see the link between the Templemore and Nenagh roads completed before the end of 2010.

This link road will includes the building of a €2.2 million bridge over the main Dublin-Cork railway line, which has been, supposedly, the major stumbling block to the continued progress of this long drawn out project. Construction came to a sudden stop in October last with the road footprint having been carved out.Deputy Lowry has stated:

“I have been in discussion with Minister Noel Dempsey on this congestion issue and arising from these talks I have gotten a commitment that the link road will be completed before the end of the year. Monies are being provided to finish the road and the engineers and design team have now agreed on the necessary requirement for the bridge. This will be a very significant piece of infrastructure for the area.”

When this long overdue road is completed, it will be the first step in alleviating heavy traffic congestion coming from the north of the county, which together with a poorly designed and badly flawed traffic calming system, presently brings Thurles to a standstill between the hours 8.30am – 9.30am and between 3.30 pm – 6.00 pm.

Presently, from a health and safety view point, both Fire, Doctor and Ambulance services are now being greatly hindered in their efforts to answer 999 emergency calls, particularly on the Dublin road, through Cathedral street and Kickham street, due to clogged motorists unable to mount high footpaths to give a clear way to these essential services.One angry frustrated motorist informed us this week:-

“Elderly cyclists who pay no road taxes, now decide the speed of traffic in Thurles, since they cannot be overtaken by motorists, due to the recent traffic calming measures introduced. These so called calming measures have had quiet the opposite effect to calming, with motorists forced to take unnecessary risks while becoming enraged and discourteous in their everyday driving habits within the town. We continue to elect Maurice Hickey type, self serving, headline gathering town and county representatives, with little or no business acumen or qualifications, to service our town and county’s need and what we elect is what we get.” he continued.

Once daily shoppers from the villages of Two Mile Borris, Moyne, Templetuohy, Holycross, Glengoole etc. have now taken their daily shopping trips to nearby Cashel, because of the long delays in Thurles traffic. Supermarkets on the outskirts of the town who offer free car parking, continue to do reasonable business at the expense of the now strangled town centre. Some local commuters and centre town businesses are now privately calling for a blockade of the town in order to highlight this ever growing problem.

Other Road Problems

North Tipperary County Council have estimated that between €3.2 and €4 million will be needed to repair roads damaged in the recent cold spell. Of this sum, €2.7 million will be needed to spent on restoring local and regional roads.

Motorists are asked to be particularly careful driving on the road between Thurles and Templetuohy, where road surfaces have been described as similar to mountainous terrain. The road from Templetuohy to Johnstown is grossly unsafe to travel by any form of transport, with large areas of the surface having subsided by up to 12 to 18 inches in many places over the past twelve months, leaving it particularly hazardous for unfamiliar motorist during periods of darkness.

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